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Talk:Daniel Gooch
As you can see, Gooch's district kept getting renumbered, but the area around which it's centered has a history of producing some very notable politicians to hold the seat. Daniel Webster, Edwin Everett, Benjamin Butler, Banks, Jim Curley, John F. Kennedy, his maternal grandfather/namesake, Tip O'Neill, and another Kennedy, the one who does the Citgo commercials today. We could actually create a category for Congressmen from that seat who have articles on this Wiki, and I believe Everett, who does not have an article, is entitled to one. Doesn't he stop by for a cup of coffee in GotS? Turtle Fan 01:39, June 4, 2010 (UTC) :Well, if Edwin Everett is the mysterious "Everett" who ran with McClellan in '64, then yes. TR 01:49, June 4, 2010 (UTC) ::I always assumed he was, but now that I do some research it grows problematic. He retired from politics ten years earlier. He had been a Whig and, though he was no longer politically active, he was a Republican at heart once the Whigs closed the store. (Well his final political effort was speaking on behalf of the "National Union Party," but we all know he wasn't a War Democrat.) And he died before the term would even have begun. Still, if we're going to call Harrison Benjamin Harrison, we might as well. Turtle Fan 01:57, June 4, 2010 (UTC) :::Are there any other visible Everetts who could fit the bill? That was another point in Harrison's favor--he was the most memorable/popular/visible guy named "Harrison" in the 1880s timeframe. I had a hard time believing HT threw the name Harrison out there, expecting the reader to just "know" it was one time Conn. governor Henry B. Harrison. TR 14:45, June 4, 2010 (UTC) ::::Perhaps it was a tribute to the great AH author Harry Harrison? ::::I did stumble upon some dude named John Everett who was appropriate to the period, but I was able to get little more than a name, and such a generic-sounding name isn't easy to Google. Turtle Fan 16:11, June 4, 2010 (UTC) You know, my above comment about the NUP and my one on Harrison needing something to be remembered for besides being grandson of an earlier president reminded me: Both the 1840 Whigs and the 1864 Republicans tried to neuter the Democrats by running these fusion tickets. It worked both times, but then both Presidents died right away and both parties were stuck with a Democrat whom everyone hated for the entire term. Makes you wonder what would have happened if Old Man McCain had picked Lieberman? I doubt it would have worked out quite the same. Turtle Fan 02:03, June 4, 2010 (UTC) :Probably not. Having the conservative Democrat who couldn't get his party's nomination for his senate seat, but ran and won anyway would not get many Dems to cross the isle. TR 14:40, June 4, 2010 (UTC) ::On domestic issues his reputation for conservatism is a bit of an exaggeration. He still gets around 90% ratings from groups like Americans for Democratic Action. ::It would have made him an interesting footnote to history: the Vice Presidential nominee of both parties. The last one I can think of offhand is Calhoun. I guess the idea would have been to try to appeal to centrist Democrats who felt their party had been hijacked by the left. But there just weren't many of those two years ago. There are now but they're not crazy about Joe the Jew either. ::By the way, I saw him speak during the '06 campaign, when I lived in Connecticut, and I was surprised by how engaging he was. On TV he comes across duller than Ben Stein, but he really knew how to liven up a small audience. Turtle Fan 16:11, June 4, 2010 (UTC) Jumping back to your point about the House seat is a viable category: I've often thought that clumping together by offices by state might be worthwhile (Senators, House members, governors, etc), but the biggest drawback would be thoroughly uneven representation. We're drowning in New York, Ohio, and Virginia politicians, but other states have few if any. TR 18:56, June 4, 2010 (UTC) :The uneven distribution is problematic. I really don't see much of a reason to make the distinction. Really, what's the difference between a New York senator and a New Mexico one, say? Other than the fact that the New York seat has been around a lot longer, there isn't any. Turtle Fan 20:01, June 4, 2010 (UTC) This should have a "Fort Pillow" sub-section. I suggest the last paragraph but am unsure if that is best or a fresh paragaph(s). It would depend on the size of his role in the book. ML4E 23:32, June 4, 2010 (UTC) :A very small role indeed. The last paragraph will suffice, it covers his role in the novel, which is identical to his role in the events on which it is based--which is why I made no seperate section. And he's not the only historical FP character for whom we leave well enough alone. Turtle Fan 01:16, June 5, 2010 (UTC)